It is at these Kgotla meetings that the Speaker, representing the National Assembly, gets to interact with ordinary Batswana and sensitise them on what is Parliament and its role.These meetings are attended by the Speaker and her staff, notably the office of the Clerk of the National Assembly, Parliamentary Counsel, Sergeant at Arms and area Members of Parliament (MP) from host constituency. The public gets to ask questions or comment on issues relating to Parliament. This is a welcome development by the speaker. It is important that people know what is Parliament and what its role is, especially from the office of the Speaker. The Speaker has to be commended for her efforts. Many Batswana do not know much about Parliament including its composition or structures and function. However, more can be done to take the institution to the people.
The traditional assembly has evolved to be an important platform for consultations. It is where the President, Ministers, MPs, and other government officials meet and interact with members of the public. However, there have been concerns about the shortcomings of the Kgotla system. In the past, especially pre-independence and just after independence, there were concerns about its tendency to discriminate against women, that whilst it is an embodiment of participatory democracy, its system was skewed in favour of men. The contemporary Kgotla sessions are mostly held during hours of work when many people especially workers, professionals, intelligentsia and young are away at work and schools. The system is intimidating to the youth and preference tends to be given to male adults especially the elderly in most cases. Therefore, by and large, the Kgotla system excludes many stakeholders. This hasn’t been helped by the tendency of the state to consult more at the Kgotla and less and less at other fora such as the halls of academia, trade unions, youth groups etcetera. Did you ever hear of President Ian Khama talking to UB students at their hall or student center? How many times does he meet unions? Every time you see the President on TV he’s addressing a Kgotla meeting at a rural area, if not attending an official event like groundbreaking ceremonies or international events. He seldom meets people outside the Kgotla. This is true to many government officials including his ministers.
